It can be very cold in El Paso. They actually got a decent amount of snow this last winter, more than us up north in central NM. My dad who grew up in Michigan and resides here in NM where it snows regularly says the biggest snowflakes he has ever seen in his entire life he saw in El Paso! Warmer atmospheres allow for bigger flakes, incidentally. Colder than one would think. It doesn't snow often, but it can surely snow (unlike most of AZ). The ariidity helps tremendously with the palms.

I have never seen a ponytail palm flower at that size. You are very lucky with it! Plumeria is looking great and that musa basjoo will probably have ripe fruit by the end of the summer (you cant eat the fruit but maybe you can germinate the seeds if viable). Looks like you are having lots of luck this year with your blooms. Greg. Its been very dry here too and pretty cloudy. 2 days ago was nice though. It really poured. Probably over an inch of rain in about 15 minutes to a half hour. It hasnt come down that heavily for that long in at least a month. Good luck! -Alex

Thanks Randy - when I got Lovely Lorrie last year it was covered in buds and blooms - took my breath away when I opened the box. Thanks Niecey, Laurie, sorry! lol - I really loved Uncommon Roses and I'm so happy I went on a buying binge last summer and got a lot of roses from them - most of them are in pots due to space issues in the garden - but at least I have them! Smith's Parish was one of my very first purchases from Uncommon Roses (I got Charles de Mills & Fields of the Woods in that shipment as well) 4 years ago - my collection has since grown :o) - I'm an incurable Rose Addict! Leslie thank you. Aprille

Katie, I have mixed feelings about the sub. Yes, it's so impressive to see. The doors feel like they should be on a bank vault. When you open the door at night, the lighting is so bright and white(I'm waiting to hear the "angel choir" sound :)). But then I think about just how expensive they are and then I feel a little silly. We also bought a full size fridge and full size freezer by frigidiaire commercial series, which we put in the basement. They look and work great, but without the bells and whistles of the sub and not as quiet. But they cost together a fraction of the sub's price. Downsy- thanks. I originally wanted a dark stain on Cherry, but my wife pushed for this finish and I'm glad she did. Yes, the granite is baltic brown. We had our heart set on this from the beginning(the fact that it was a lower tier didn't hurt, either!) The pictures don't really show how well it goes with the cabinet. The colors match the cabinet such that it makes the glaze "pop." We're so pleased with the result. misstaceyh-Thanks, we weren't going to go thru with running the lights to the island, but thank God my brother is an electrician, or else it wouldn't have happened... He spent many hours doing the lighting after closing, which made it more difficult.